‘Dinosaur Train — Live!’ coming to Orono

Dinosaur Train -- Live! Buddys Big Adventure, based on the Emmy Award-nominated PBS childrens series Dinosaur Train created by Craig Bartlett, will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, at The Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono.

Posted Jan. 07, 2014, at 3:04 p.m.

ORONO, Maine — “Dinosaur Train — Live! Buddy’s Big Adventure,” based on the Emmy Award-nominated PBS children’s series “Dinosaur Train” created by Craig Bartlett, will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, at the Collins Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono.

In “Dinosaur Train — Live! Buddy’s Big Adventure,” children can join Buddy, Tiny, King, Don and more in an interactive and immersive live trip with an original, musical story created just for the stage. Lush projected backgrounds and vistas, magical special effects that fill the theater, a full-sized replica of the Dinosaur Train, unique hybrid puppeteered costume characters and an engaging live host will fill the stage.

Little Buddy is a proud Tyrannosaurus Rex living happily in the Pteranodon family nest. But, what exactly makes Buddy a part of this family and just what will happen when he gets bigger and can’t fit in the nest anymore? Buddy wants to know, so the Pteranodons decide to hop aboard the one and only Dinosaur Train and set off on an adventure across the Mesozoic to take Buddy to see his good friend King Cryolophosaurus. King’s giving a big concert in Troodon Town and will be a great pal for Buddy to talk to and figure it all out. But, oh no, King is missing! Will Buddy and the gang be able to find him in time for his concert? Just why is King hiding, anyway? And will Buddy discover what makes him special and such an important part of the Pteranodon family? Take a ride on the Dinosaur Train to find out, together!

Through interactivity, music and laughter, “Dinosaur Train — Live! Buddy’s Big Adventure” will have kids up and dancing in the aisles.

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The director and producer is John Tartaglia, and producer and co-creator is Michael Shawn Lewis. The puppets were created by Jim Henson Company.

PBS’ “Dinosaur Train” is meant to encourage basic scientific thinking and skills. Each episode includes animated segments with live-action sequences featuring a paleontologist who brings to life the show’s natural science and natural history curriculum for preschoolers, giving specific facts about dinosaurs and comparing their features to modern animals. The series has been airing on PBS Kids since September 2009.